French tax officials have employed artificial intelligence to look for hidden private pools in aerial photographs. According to the sources, the owners received fines of nearly 10 million euros as a consequence of the inspections.
The algorithm, which Google and Capgemini created, can locate pools in aerial photos and match them to property register records. The experiment allowed her to find 20,356 unregistered things.
Regulators mandate that any alterations to real estate, including the installation of swimming pools, be reported by owners within 90 days of the work being finished. According to experts, a standard 30 square metres would cost the owner an extra 200 euros a year.
The tax authority is currently considering utilising the technique to find unreported outbuildings, verandas, and permanent terraces.
The deputy general director for public finance, Antoine Magnat, mentioned in the statement, “We are especially focused on extensions to the house like porches.”
The tax authorities’ technical division claims that they can still not differentiate between an addition and a ground-level awning, patio, or tarpaulin. They said that the software error is 30%.
According to a study from April 2022, artificial intelligence mistaken solar panels for swimming pools and was unable to locate taxable structures buried in the shadow or behind trees.
The creators claim that testing is being done to advance the technology.
“This is our second round of research and will also allow us to check if the property is empty and should no longer be taxed,” Magnant added to the statement.
In 2021, a pilot initiative to locate unregistered real estate was started in nine French departments. The technology will be made available to the entire nation in 2023, and the number of things that can be spotted will also rise.
Authorities anticipate that the technology will contribute to a 40 million euro annual boost in tax income from the building of private pools.
Recall that the US Internal Revenue Service ceased utilising the ID.me face recognition technology in February.
